Names Oscar Carl Olof have a long royal history

The names of the newly born Swedish Prince Oscar Carl Olof, which were announced by King Carl XVI Gustaf in a special Royal Council in the Royal Palace, have a long royal history.

Sweden had two kings named Oscar. Oscar II (1829-1907) was the last Swedish King who was also King of neighboring Norway. His father was Oscar I and between both of them reigned his Karl XV, who was married to the Dutch Princess Louise, a granddaughter of King William I.

Karl or Carl - but the newly born prince is called Carl with C - is the name of until now sixteen kings, including the present monarch and grandfather of the newest addition to the royal family. Except that the 15th Karl wrote his name with a K and the sixteenth Carl is with a C, or fully Carl XVI Gustaf. As can be seen, the Swedes keep count through the first part of the name, instead of opting for an Carl Gustaf II.

* The Swedish Royal Family during the Act of Thanksgiving in the Royal Chapel

King Carl XVI Gustaf also hoped that the count would continue into the next generation. He gave his son the name Carl Philip, in the expectation that one day he would reign as King Carl XVII Philip. At the time of his birth in 1979 boys still had precedence over girls in the line of succession, but the writing was already on the palace wall that this would change. Despite objections from the King, the Swedish Constitution was changed retro-actively and Prince Carl Philip lost his position as Crown Prince to his elder sister Victoria.

* The parents of Prince Daniel (on the left) with Princess Cristina and her husband.

Olof, the third name for the new prince is primarily in honor of his grandfather on father's side, Olle Westling. But there was in distant Swedish history a King Olof, nicknamed 'Skötkonung - the tax king. This king lived around the year 1000, and is mainly known because he had the first Swedish coins minted.